MUSCAT, OCT 20
The Oman University Programming Contest 2026 began at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) on Tuesday, bringing together 48 teams and 144 contestants to compete in programming and problem-solving challenges.
Organised by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, the two-day competition was held under the auspices of Dr Ali bin Amer al Shaithani, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Communications and Information Technology, in the presence of HH Sayyid Dr Fahd bin al Julanda al Said, Vice-Chancellor of SQU. The contest aims to discover national talent in programming, develop analytical thinking and problem-solving skills, and prepare young Omanis to contribute to the country’s digital economy.
Mahmoud bin Said al Majini, Head of Training Programmes at the ministry’s Future Skills Department and General Supervisor of the contest, said the competition plays an important role in honing students’ skills and preparing national competencies capable of using modern technologies and developing innovative solutions to meet the needs of the digital economy. He added that developing digital skills among Omani youth is a key pathway to strengthening their technical capabilities and encouraging them to participate in regional and international competitions.
Al Majini noted that the top-performing teams would qualify for the international competition scheduled to be hosted by Egypt in December. Ahead of their international participation, the ministry will organise specialised training camps for the winning students to enhance their programming skills, teamwork and ability to tackle technical challenges.
He said three Omani teams qualify annually to participate in these competitions, highlighting the achievements of national teams in previous editions. Among their notable results were fifth and seventh places in a cybersecurity competition introduced as part of a competition for African and Arab universities, which attracted 152 teams from around the world. Omani school students have also achieved promising results in informatics competitions, with one team securing seventh place in the Future Programmer competition held in Jordan, which brought together more than 57 teams from across the Arab world. The students also received scholarships in recognition of their achievements.
Dr Sultan bin Salim al Yahyai, Regional Director of the Oman University Programming Contest, said the competition focuses on skills that computer science and programming students need to develop in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). “Artificial intelligence undoubtedly provides us with more powerful and faster tools. At the same time, our ability to ask the right questions, understand results, identify errors and make sound decisions has become more important than ever,” he said.
The contest is being implemented in cooperation with the Programming Academy, with OQ as the strategic partner, Sohar International Bank as the official partner, the Oman Energy Association (OPAL) as the technical partner and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority as the silver partner.
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